Why do Dolphins Migrate?

Dolphins cannot hibernate under water as they want to breathe for every 30 mints. Dolphins will not migrate with a specific pattern. The people doing research in this aspect feel that dolphins will move in seasonal manner. The dolphins will not be able to hibernate as they will not have any involuntary breathing respiratory system like humans and other animals. The dolphins must be conscious in order to breathe. The dolphin’s brain will sleep at one time as per the proof given by electroencephalogram. This kind of sleeping is carried out for a total of 8 hours per day.

Dolphins can stay inside waters for about half an hour and will come to the surface to inhale from the blowhole. Dolphins will sleep in deep waters and rise for every 30 mins to breathe air. They might also sleep in shallow waters and can come to the surface very often. Sometimes they sleep on the surface waters with blowhole above the waters. They swim very slowly during their stay in semi conscious state. In whatever way they sleep, dolphins will keep one eye open and it is not certain with which part of the brain is this eye coordinating with. Dolphins are found to swim in pairs while sleeping.

Dolphins do not migrate specifically in large numbers regularly. Some may move seasonally, though they do not move for longer durations. At the time of extreme winters like North Atlantic coast of United States, dolphins are available in southern waters in winter. The dolphins which were seen at the coast of United Kingdom were observed to be moving to the Southern Cornwall towards north during the warm weather. The researchers found that there is no specific pattern to this behavior of the dolphins. The dolphins would move long distances for migration in seasons.

In some regions like pacific coast of Japan and in North Carolina coast, the dolphins will move to other areas in search of their prey. Most of the dolphin migration is not associated with food. But, it is linked with the change in temperature of waters.